By Roy Denish.
Ashoka Ranwala return gains opposition support as MPs reassess the former Speaker amid mounting controversy around his successor.
COLOMBO – An Ashoka Ranwala return is gaining unexpected support within Sri Lanka’s opposition, as lawmakers reportedly reassess the former Speaker amid growing clashes with his successor.
Ranwala resigned as Speaker only weeks after taking office following the National People’s Power (NPP) landslide victory in the 2024 general election. His departure came after intense scrutiny over the validity of his doctoral credentials. In his resignation letter, Ranwala pledged to publicly release his degree, but he has still not done so.
Sources say the delay is linked to the certificate carrying a monastic name rather than his lay identity, Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala. Ranwala reportedly lived as a Buddhist monk in Japan during the turbulent 1988–1989 period of civil unrest and obtained his academic credentials under that religious title. Concerned that the dispute could damage the new administration, he chose to step down.
Ashoka Ranwala Return Gains Opposition Support
The controversy cleared the way for the NPP to elevate Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne to the Speaker’s chair. However, Wickramaratne’s tenure has since attracted its own controversy, including active inquiries by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. Opposition MPs have also attacked what critics describe as his high-handed, authoritarian handling of Parliament.
Those tensions have now produced an unexpected shift within opposition ranks. Political insiders say several opposition factions have reached a quiet consensus that Ranwala was a preferable presiding officer despite the earlier credential controversy.
Sources further say lawmakers have informally agreed they would not oppose an Ashoka Ranwala return to the Speaker’s post if another vacancy arises.
